


Twilight: Rewritten

by Ghita Muir (MargaretKate92)



Series: The Twilight Saga: Rewritten [1]
Category: DCU (Comics), Fruits Basket, Planetary - Warren Ellis, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Action/Adventure, Chaptered, Drama & Romance, F/M, Inspired by Novel, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:54:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29506524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MargaretKate92/pseuds/Ghita%20Muir
Summary: This is the Twilight I wanted to read and I've sat on it for years. So here it is: This is not your Mormon Twilight. Chapters will be updated on Tuesdays!
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Series: The Twilight Saga: Rewritten [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2167461
Kudos: 3





	1. 1

1

“Are you sure it will fit?” Bella asked nervously, chewing on her lower lip. She clutched a small oak jewelry box as she stood next to Phil, who was already sweating and puffing as he tried to stuff her large suitcase into his hatchback. She wasn’t sure if it was the effort he was putting in to make the suitcase fit, or if it was because of the abusive Arizona sun beating down on him that made him sweat. He didn’t answer in anything other than a grunt.  
“Are you still sure you want to leave?” Renee asked. She’d just slammed the right passenger door on Bella’s smaller bags. Renee smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Bella’s aunt had been debating and trying to convince her not to leave up until that morning. Bella knew that if she did more than smile back, Renee would pounce on another opportunity. But Bella was still adamant about going to live with her uncle Charlie.  
Finally, with one more push, Phil let out a triumphant cry as the suitcase slipped into the trunk and shut the door.  
“Too late now Rey. She’s all packed,” Phil crowed.  
Renee rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh. “Well, alright. Let’s get this show on the road.” It was Bella’s turn to make a face as she slipped in the left side of the car. As they all piled in, Phil turned to ease the car out of the driveway and winked at Bella.  
Leaving Phoenix for Forks, two towns as opposite as opposite could be wasn’t a choice Bella made lightly. If she was truly honest with herself, she loved living with Renee. She reminded Bella of Kyoko, she was both stern and gentle. Renee loved her intensely. Sometimes her love was so intense, it caused her anxiety. But Renee had always worked to hide her anxiety for Bella’s good. Phil was a welcome addition to their small family, with his easy smiles. He was like an everlasting sun, ever optimistic, without ever seeming dull or uninteresting. Phil loved to pretend he was in on a joke with someone. In passing, he would always throw a conspiratorial wink and a smile as if they had just planned some genius prank together.  
She loved the little house they lived in. She had her own room that had a giant window that showed an unobstructed view of the little garden they worked hard on. They worked tirelessly and relentlessly to keep the roses in bloom in the harsh Arizona heat. The plateaus greeted her every morning. It was beautiful and warm here. She always thought if there was a reason she would ever move away from this place, it would be to go back home. Back to New York City, where there was a different kind of beauty and ruggedness that captured her heart. But the real reason these places were home to her was because of the people she had come to love.  
She’d overheard Renee and Phil talking about how Phil would play his last season in the Minor Leagues, and how he had an opportunity in Florida. This wouldn’t be her home for long if they decided to leave. But then...someone she loved left unexpectedly. And everywhere here reminded her of them. So she had to leave. No matter how sad it made Renee, or even how much she wanted to finish the school year here, with the friends she made, she couldn’t.  
She called Charlie herself before she could have a fight with Renee about it. She fought after Charlie calmly told her she would be welcome to stay with him, but only if Renee agreed. Renee didn’t at first. Renee was one of the most stubborn people Bella knew. When Renee said no, she meant no. When she said yes, there was no force seen or unseen that could stop her from doing what she wanted. It surprised Bella that Renee agreed at all, let alone with conditions. It didn’t stop her, however, from trying to convince Bella to stay with her.  
She still tried at the airport. They waited for her flight with her at the gate.  
“Are you sure? Are you really sure? Starting at a new school this late into the year can be hard! It might not be good for your grades! And what about your friends? It won’t be the same so far away. You and Michelle were set on graduating together. You were going to decorate your caps and wanted a whole graduation party theme! What was it going to be?” Renee said.  
“’ Made for New York.’” Bella responded.  
“’ Made for New York’! It’s so lovely! So sharp!”  
“Renee...”  
“Alright, alright! Rey, we talked about this.” Phil chided, “Bella, you know you can always change your mind and you’ll always have a place with us. So don’t feel bad if you don’t want to stay, okay? Promise me if you’re not feeling up to staying there, you’ll call, okay?”  
“Alright. I promise.” Bella relented.  
Phil nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer, and gave her a tight hug, before wrapping a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulder.  
“I guess it’s the best I can hope for,” Renee said, seeming to surrender. “Before you go, there is something we have for you.” Renee detangled herself from Phil and reached into her bag and presented Bella with a small wrapped gift. “Don’t open it until you get to Charlie’s, okay?”  
Bella nodded, feeling tears well up from her throat. “Thank you. You guys didn’t have to.”  
“Sure we did, kiddo.” Phil insisted.  
Soon, the flight attendant called for Bella’s flight to board. Renee pulled her into a very tight hug and kissed the top of her head. She smelled like roses and peaches. Bella hugged her back, determined to memorize her scent, to hold it in the clothes she was wearing.  
Renee finally let go of her and whispered, “I love you, bud.”  
“I love you too,” Bella whispered back. She gave Phil another quick hug and hurried onto the plane, chin first, with the iron determination not to cry.

Charlie met her with a sheepish smile, still in his police uniform. It was unsuccessfully covered by his shaggy jacket. His smile widened as she approached him and he enveloped her in a warm and welcoming hug. The scent of coffee grounds and sage surrounded her and all at once she felt safe. This was now her home.  
The car ride to his house was quiet. It was nice, after being stuck with so many people on a plane, to just be able to hear her thoughts. Where Renee exuded energy and a constant state of something always happening, Charlie was quiet and calm. He never said anything that didn’t need to be said. It made sense that he was the chief of police.  
“I have to warn you,” Charlie said after a moment, “you coming here has caused a little bit of commotion. You’ll have some company at the house in a little while.”  
Bella frowned. “Should I change?”  
“No, no. You don’t need to make a fuss yourself. There’ll be plenty of that to go around. I know you said you wanted to come out here and clear your head and have a little peace and quiet. I just thought I should give you a heads up.” Charlie reassured her.  
As they turned down the street, Bella saw a silver minivan parked in the driveway. On the curb in front of Charlie’s house was a black beat-up ford and a classic, fire engine red, Chevy pickup. It looked like someone plucked it right out of the 1960s. Charlie parked behind it and ignored Bella’s curious look. He grabbed her large suitcase—which she was starting to regret bringing—and the larger of her two duffel bags out of the trunk of the cruiser and began walking across the lawn, pausing to make sure Bella was fine. She had grabbed the remaining duffel and was clutching the present Renee and Phil had given her before she left, along with her music box, tightly to her chest, determined to carry it all with no visible sign of struggle.  
“You weren’t kidding about the fuss,” she said.  
“For the record, this was not my idea.” He said gruffly as he swung the door open. Excited shouts of “Surprise!” greeted her as she passed Charlie and crossed the threshold. She was then enveloped in what would be her fourth hug today.  
“Welcome home!” Trianna crooned, squeezing her fiercely. Trianna was Renee’s only other cousin in the states. The only other blood she had. Bella remembered stories of how she and Renee constantly needled poor Charlie into being more social than he wanted to. Even as a teenager, he kept to himself. Trianna had been a constant whenever Bella went back and forth between her two pseudo parents. No one could help but smile in her presence. And this time was no different.  
Bella squeezed Trianna back just as the older woman pulled her farther into the house. Bella saw the cheesy streamers, shiny “welcome” balloons, and the large yellow banner taped to the wall just above the stairs, welcoming her. She also saw Angela, Trianna’s daughter, and her best friend, by the stairs. She seemed to just vibrate happiness and excitement and hugged her as soon as her mother let go, squealing in delight all the while.  
“You’re finally here!” she exclaimed. “We’re finally going to school together and everything!”  
Jacob Black, who was the son of Charlie’s oldest and best friend, ambled up next, rescuing Bella from Angela’s delight. He gave her a quick hug and a lazy grin. Next was Billy, Jacob’s father, who wheeled up to her after instructing his son to help Charlie bring her bags up.  
“Good to have you back, Bells.” He said, squeezing her hands.  
“Thanks, Billy. Thanks, everyone!” Bella called to the rest of the house. “This was really sweet.”  
“Don’t thank us yet,” Trianna said. “the party’s not over!” She and Angela had gotten started on setting the table. Trianna began bringing out covered casserole dishes to place on the small dining room table and called for charlie and Jacob to wash up for supper. “Go up and see your room,” she told Bella. “Wash up after.” Bella looked confused but headed up the stairs. Once she got to the top, she met Charlie and Jacob in the bathroom. Charlie directed her to her room at the end of the hall.  
The room was beautifully decorated. Twinkle lights hung and glittered across the wall above a four-poster wood-framed bed that was draped in a thick purple quilt and which was painted a deep navy blue to accent the pale blue color of the rest of the room. The other side of her room had a large picture window framed with white. There was a small work desk pushed into the corner off to the side of the window, opposite the bed. On it was a Gateway computer and a desk lamp. Charlie left her bags near the foot of her bed. There was an empty antique dresser pushed up against the wall next to the closet. Bella let out a sigh as she sank onto the bed, taking in the room. Very suddenly, she felt so far away from Renee. She remembered when she first came home to Arizona. How Renee blindfolded her in the driveway and guided her into the small house to her room. Only the walls had been painted a deep orange that matched the desert. That evening, they drove through the neighborhood after dinner, just the two of them.  
Bella missed Renee so much. She missed the sun and her warm room, she missed Renee’s mischievousness, her adventures. She missed her lilac lotion and her singing. Bella didn’t realize how much she would miss her. She almost started crying, but didn’t. She was hyper-aware of Charlie and Jacob trying to inconspicuously hover in the hallway to gauge her reaction. Instead, she sniffed and opened the present she still clutched in her hands. Now was as good a time as any.  
She tore the packaging open and gaped. The box read Motorola, with a note attached:

No matter how far away you are, it’s never as far away as you think. Whenever you feel alone, know I’m just a call away.

Love,  
Renee

Bella carefully peeled the tape off of the note and placed it next to her before opening the box to reveal a shiny orange Motorola flip phone. It already had a charm attached at the top, one that Bella recognized that Renee had made. The pendant was a ceramic sun and rose. The phone already had a full charge. They must have bought it as soon as Bella decided to move. She scrolled through the phone to only find a few contacts. Renee and Phil had added their numbers along with Charlie and Trianna’s. They had added Michelle’s number as well. Bella hopped off the bed and peeked out to the hallway with a smile.  
“I’m going to call Renee,” she told Charlie and Jacob before softly closing the door. Renee picked up on the second ring.  
“Bud!” Renee cooed. “How was your flight? How’s Charlie? Did you see Trianna?”  
“It was fine, Charlie’s fine, and yes,” Bella answered. “Thank you for the gift. And the note.”  
“Oh well, I couldn’t let you go off on the other side of the world without a way to reach back to me. You’re my girl. I know I made a big show about you leaving, and I meant every word, but you’re seventeen. You’re going to be an adult soon, making your own decisions and finding your adventures. Charlie and Phil and I all want you to be able to fly to wherever you want and know you still have homes to come to.” Renee said.  
“You’re trying to make me cry now aren’t you?” Bella said accusingly.  
“I would never! I’m just saying, I love you and I always will.” Renee said.  
“Well, thank you. Again. And I love you too.” Bella said, taking a turn around her new room. The smell of roasted tomatoes began to waft through the door. “I have to go. Trianna came over with Angela and Jacob. She made dinner.”  
“Well alright. Don’t forget to get some rest. And don’t forget to call Michelle. And thank Trianna and be good to Charlie, you know he doesn’t--”  
“He doesn’t like to fuss. I know, mom. I’ll be good, I promise. I’ll eat my vegetables, I’ll go to bed on time and be in before my curfew.” Bella interjected.  
“Alright, alright.” Renee relented. “Go on then, give everyone my love.”  
“Okay. Bye, Renee.”  
“Goodbye, Bud. Be good.”


	2. Chapter 2

2

Trianna had an amazing gift with food. It was amazing what she could do. There was fried shrimp, pasta with roasted tomatoes and cheese (the smell called Bella from upstairs), A crisp salad, and homemade bread rolls. Who makes their own bread rolls? Bella wondered. That is until she tore it apart and was greeted with steam and the smell of melted butter. There was wine and beer for the adults, and sparkling cider for the kids. Billy and Trianna regaled everyone with stories of Billy, Trianna, and Charlie, much to Charlie’s dismay. Charlie was a good sport throughout dinner and even told some stories himself. Angela made a solemn promise not to leave Bella’s side on her first day of school on Monday. She told Bella of her friends, names that swirled around her with no real tether to reality. Jacob snuck smiles to Bella anytime Trianna took his dad to task or told a story that made Charlie roll his eyes. He was quiet and told a story or two. He seemed to be hiding some other excitement.   
After dinner, there was dessert. Lemon pound cake with strawberry ice cream and cherry pie. They all slowly migrated to the living room. Bella was shooed away when she tried to help Trianna clean up. After they made a size-able dent in dessert, Jacob, who sat on the floor next to his father, asked, “Now can we show her?”  
“Show me what?” Bella interjected.  
“I suppose so. Although she’s already seen it, technically.” Charlie chuckled.  
“Seen what?” Bella asked again.  
Jacob popped up with the biggest smile. He held his hand out to her. “Come on! I’ll show you.” Bella let him pull her out to the porch. Dusk had just settled over the neighborhood and the surrounding forest. Charlie flipped the porch light on so everyone could see. Jacob pulled her down the steps, with Angela following. Jacob stopped just shy of the pavement and twirled her around. Bella laughed as Angela ran ahead to the Chevy. She did her best Vanna White impression, gracefully gesturing to the truck.  
“Ta-da!” she singsonged. Jacob stopped spinning Bella and held in place by her shoulders in front of them so she could see the truck.  
“What do you think?” He asked. Bella looked back at Charlie in confusion.  
Charlie smiled and said, “It’s yours, honey. I bought it off Billy.”  
“Technically you bought it off of Jacob.” Billy corrected.  
“Wait, seriously?” Bella squealed as they all nodded. She turned and hugged Jacob. He beamed proudly as he declared he built and refurbished the whole thing himself. “For me?”  
Jacob looked down sheepishly. “Yeah. I mean, you need to get to school and stuff.” He shrugged. “Do you like it?”  
“Are you kidding me? I love it! Thank you so much!” Bella ran to the truck and climbed in with Angela, both of them giggling. Jacob joined them in the cab, making Angela scoot in the middle. He told her how to start it and showed her the clutch. It was amazing, the restoration he did on the truck. The inside had a beautiful cream interior and a faux wooden panel on the console and the doors. It was spotless and immaculate. Little wooden wolf charms danced on strings hung on the rear view mirror.   
“How long have you been working with this?” She asked Jacob in wonder.  
“Not long.” Jacob shrugged.  
“Oh please. He’s spent almost every day for two summers trying to get it going. He only got it all pretty when Charlie offered to buy for you!” Angela teased.  
“Shut up!” Jacob groaned.  
“Ang, leave him alone. Jake this is the coolest thing anyone’s done for me,” Bella started and caught Angela’s look of mock betrayal, “Besides the my room. Thank you both so much.”  
It was Angela’s turn to shrug. “We know that leaving and coming up here is really hard for you. So we just wanted to make the adjustment really easy for you. We figured it would be easier if you had your room set up and had it so you didn’t have to make your dad drive you everywhere in a police cruiser, you know? Plus, you have us to help you blend in at school and stuff too!”  
“Well, not me.” Jacob said, “I go to school on the reservation. But I’ll be around to hang.” Angela wrapped her arms around Jacob and Bella’s shoulders. “The magical trio is back!” she shouted as they laughed. 

It was late into the night before everyone left. Bella was able to put away a tray and a half of dinner in Tupperware she found before Trianna shooed her away and put the rest of it up herself. They put on music and danced. Angela talked more about school. Jacob invited her down to his garage any weekend she wanted. Bella tried to take in as much information as she could and said she’d do her best to come see Jacob as often as she could. Bella sat and basked in the love and warmth of her family and friends. With all the wistful thoughts she had of Arizona and of Renee, it was nice to know that she didn’t have to work to make Forks home. All she had to do was show up.  
After everyone finally left, really left, Charlie and Bella sat in the living room.  
“Alright,” he said. “I’ve got a few house rules.”  
“Okay.” Bella said.  
“School nights, you need to be in by nine. Weekends are a little flexible, but aim for one, alright?”  
Bella nodded.  
“Chores are pretty simple. If you make a mess, just make sure you clean it. Do your homework--”  
“--Eat my veggies, be in bed by ten?” Bella smiled.  
Charlie snorted. “I suppose you’ve got the gist. Dinner’s at seven.”  
“You cook?” Bella asked.  
“Who do you think taught Renee?” Charlie smiled. “Anyway. Saturdays are all yours. I usually go out in the mornings to fish. You’re more than welcome to tag along, and Sundays I try to get out in the yard, do some basic things around the house. It’s not very exciting, but it’s relaxing.”  
Bella smiled. Maybe she could spend some time making a garden here too. She knew Renee started one back when they were married, but wasn’t sure if she finished it or if Charlie kept it up.  
“Two more things and then I’ll let you get some rest.” Charlie added, capturing her attention, “Don’t go into the woods on your own. I mean it. If you want to do a cleansing ritual or go hiking, take someone with you and let me know when you go. Every place has it’s dangers, and I don’t want you mixed up in this one’s, you hear me?”  
Bella nodded again, wide eyed.  
“And lastly, be careful around the Cullens. They’re a family that just moved here from Alaska, but Billy’s rubbed the wrong way about them. Don’t be rude or nasty, just careful, okay?” Charlie often trusted Billy’s instincts and even treated his instincts as gospel. If Billy didn’t feel right about a person or situation, Charlie treated them with caution.  
“Did Billy ever say what was wrong with them? The Cullens?” Bella asked. She couldn’t help but feel intrigued.  
“No, just that they made him feel uneasy. Billy’s not normally wrong about people.” Charlie shrugged. With that, Charlie stood up and stretched.   
“Are you going fishing tomorrow?” Bella asked.  
“If I wake up in time.” Charlie said, frowning at the clock in the living room. “I usually try to leave at around three-thirty or four to get to the river. You want me to grab a pole for you?”  
“Sure!” Bella said. If I wake up in time.

Mornings in Forks were beautiful, in it’s own way. Fog clung to the trunks of trees and danced on the pavement of the roads. It was the type of morning that lulled you back to sleep, that made the blankets feel just right and your bed and pillows softer. Bella resisted though, trying to stay awake in the cruiser. She set her alarm and woke up cleared eyed and ready to go. By the time she made it out to meet charlie at his car, he was just finishing up hitching a smallish fishing boat to his cruiser.  
“Are you sure you don’t want to use the truck?” She’d asked as a greeting.  
Charlie looked up and smiled. “Don’t worry, Bells. The cruiser is more than capable of getting us there and back, without a sweat.” So far he was right. The boat trailed behind the cruiser with no issues. All of that energy and excitement she had seemed to dissipate as they drove down to Charlie’s favorite spot. Charlie turned on the news and they listened to the weather report. When the reporter announced that most of the day would be clear of rain that day, although still cold, Charlie switched stations to classic rock. Every now and then he’d hum along. Bella would hum along with him, if she recognized a tune or two. It helped her stay awake, or so she thought. She done well the first thirty minutes or so, but eventually she succumbed to soft lull of Charlie’s humming and the wisps of fog outside…  
She woke to Charlie turning the car around and backing his boat gently to the shore. It was still dark, though not so misty as it had been when they left. Bella yawned, stretched, and immediately shivered.  
“You alright?” Charlie asked, still focused on getting the boat close to the shoreline without letting the boat drift too far.  
“I’m fine. You didn’t wake me up.” Bella mumbled.  
“Well, how about I make up for that by teaching you how to unhitch a boat?” he teased.  
“Um...I could hold the tackle box instead?” Bella suggested. Charlie let out a bark of laughter and place the cruiser in park. He climbed out and gestured towards the back seat.  
“Have at it, kid.” He said and went to the trailer to unhitch the boat himself. Bella reached into the back and grabbed the two tackle boxes and place them onto the rocky shore. Charlie was busy unleashing a mountain of chains and wires. “Don’t forget the cooler on the floor!” He called. Bella looked, and sure enough, there was a blue and white igloo cooler. It was heavy and uncooperative when she grabbed the handle and attempted to haul the cooler over the seats and onto the ground. After she had emptied the back seat and placed all the supplies she found in a neat pile on the ground, Charlie came around to her.   
“Alright. Time for some elbow grease,” He said. Together they pushed the boat off the trailer and into the murky water.  
Four hours later, she hadn’t caught any fish. Charlie caught one and told her what it was called, but the name escaped her. She learned a lot of things fishing with Charlie. Patience was key and so was the ability to be not just quiet, but to maintain a stillness about you. You had to listen and wait. She also learned that fish, a live one fresh out of the water, looked weird. Not ugly, but certainly not something you’d want to stare at for long periods of time. They were violent. Charlie’s fish fought and wriggled—though wriggled seems to playful to call what this one did—until Charlie finally subdued it, quietly. It was one of the most frightening things she’d ever seen her uncle do. And she’d been in a gun range with him. After the initial excitement of their first fish, there was just...more waiting. More patience. More stillness.   
It was another hour after the first catch when the sun began to rise and the fog drifted away from the water and the trees. The water reflected the sun in a myriad of colors. Bella no longer paid attention to her line, marveling in the sunrise. Charlie seemed to give the sunrise some of his attention as well, beginning to softly whistle and turn his face towards to sun.   
A few minutes after that, Bella’s stomach began to grumble. Charlie reached over to the cooler she dragged out of the car earlier and took out a sandwich wrapped in wax paper and a small carton of orange juice and passed them over to her. She smiled at Charlie in silent thanks and quietly ripped the paper away to reveal thick cut white bread.  
Oh my God...Charlie wasn’t kidding when he said he could cook. It smelled absolutely amazing. She bit into it to discover eggs and cheese and peppers and bacon with a small tang of tobasco sauce. When did he have time to make these? She wondered.   
“You do this every Saturday?” She asked around her third bite.  
“Yeah.” Charlie whispered. “It’s nice out here, right? Not too cold, not too many people. It’s quiet.” Charlie seemed to gaze off in the distance for a moment. “Just because a town’s small doesn’t mean a it doesn’t have it’s problems. Life can be complicated no matter where you end up. But not here…here it’s just nature. It’s quiet and just predictable enough.” He seemed to catch himself and shrug off whatever melancholy he was feeling and smiled at Bella.  
“How’d I do?” He gestured at the sandwich that was nearly gone.  
“Really good!” Bella replied. “Being chief of police for Forks is really that bad?”  
“Not bad.” Charlie sighed. “But every leadership role comes with pressures that can be hard to manage if you’re not careful. People expect a lot from their leaders. I’m sure the Mayor has her own gripes and stress. But their supposed to. I can’t become a chief and expect life to go easier for me. There’s more responsibility the higher up you go. And you have to make sure you do what it takes to handle those responsibilities without taking it out on the people beneath and around you.”  
“So you come out here.” Bella guessed. Charlie nodded. Sometimes Bella wondered why Renee and Charlie ever divorced. They didn’t really talk about it, at least not to her. They never said anything bad about the other and were still really good friends, all things considered. Bella remembered when Renee and Phil got married, Charlie sent down a beautiful teardrop glass sculpture with Phil and Renee’s initial etched on it. Renee loved it so much that she kept it on one of the end tables in the living room. She always sent him one of her hand painted cards for his birthday. Bella knew he kept them in a photo album, protected from the light with plastic, on one of the bookshelves in his house.   
She could see why they would have been a match. Renee was always adventurous and loud. She was always ready to go, to do, swiftly moving from one thing to the next. Charlie was content right where he was. On his boat, in his house, in his town. He was calm and not so easily swayed. Still, for whatever reason, their marriage couldn’t stand the test of time.   
Bella wondered how much of Charlie was still hurt by their divorce. How much of her reminded him of Renee and whether by proxy, she hurt him too. She could never bring herself to ask and she wasn’t sure Charlie would give her an answer.   
As if he could feel her mood dropping, he said, “I’m glad you decided to come out here with me. I know you talked about wanting a fresh start and not wanting to remember what happened…but all that aside, I’m glad you’re here, Bells.” Bella swallowed back tears along with her last bite of her sandwich.  
“I’m glad I came too.” Bella whispered. Charlie gave her shoulder a little squeeze. Suddenly, his line began to buzz and Bella watched in horror as, once again, Charlie reeled in another medium sized fish and snapped it’s spine.  
All in all, they caught four fish. The last one was caught on Bella’s line. Charlie congratulated her for staying calm. He helped her reel it in, but then had to kill it. Bella couldn’t bring herself to touch it’s weird scaly skin, much less kill it. She did try for Charlie though. It almost wriggled away after her third try. Charlie seemed ecstatic on the drive home. He sang and whistled the whole way home.   
It was almost three o’clock by the time they got home and Bella was absolutely exhausted. Her hands smelled like fish and river water. It started raining on the way home, which seemed to sap the warmth from her body even faster. She still had to unpack back at home as well. But even though Charlie had her help hang the dead fish carcasses in the garage and smile through Charlie talking through how to gut a fish, the wasn’t bad. Charlie fried up a few fillets and she had to admit that fish you caught yourself just taste better.


End file.
